I’ve just returned from my first Celebrity cruise, and there were a few aspects of my cruise vacation that I preferred over Royal Caribbean.
From the time I started cruising, I’ve booked the majority of my cruises on Royal Caribbean. Despite having twenty excellent cruises with the line, I occasionally like to switch up my vacations. Thus, I recently booked a 7-night Norwegian fjords itinerary on Celebrity Silhouette.
Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean are both operated under the Royal Caribbean Group, so I expected to see similarities between the two cruise lines. Yet while the cruise lines shared the same check-in process and mobile app design, the onboard experience was actually more different than I imagined.
Celebrity Cruises offers a premium experience, but there were far fewer active thrills compared to a Royal Caribbean cruise. As far as dining, I found Celebrity offered a wider range of ingredients while Royal Caribbean stuck to nightly cuisine themes in its dining room menus.
There are advantages and disadvantages to sailing on any cruise line, but here are the seven things I liked better about Celebrity Cruises than Royal Caribbean.
First was the more premium, sophisticated atmosphere
Sometimes what makes one cruise line stand out from another are really the smallest touches.
Celebrity Cruises is a premium cruise line, so when compared to a line like Royal Caribbean or Carnival, you’ll notice a few extra perks once onboard.
As an example, my stateroom on Celebrity Silhouette was serviced twice per day instead of the once-a-day service on Royal Caribbean. Although I sometimes feel the twice-daily service is a little overboard (how messy can my cabin really be after just a few hours?), it was still appreciated.
Speaking of stateroom service, I loved coming back to chocolate on my pillow each evening—something so simple actually brought me a lot of joy.
Beyond my stateroom, I was surprised to see hand towels in the public bathrooms as opposed to only paper towels, and the bread basket in the Main Dining Room came served with not just one, but three variations of butter and dip.
These perks, while seemingly insignificant on their own, made a difference in my overall vacation experience on Celebrity. I felt more pampered than I do on a Royal Caribbean cruise, making me feel special aboard a ship with almost 3,000 other guests.
Related: 17 things I wish I knew before setting foot on a Celebrity ship
I preferred certain loyalty perks on Celebrity Cruises
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises allow guests to match their loyalty status from one cruise line to the other. As a loyal Royal Caribbean cruiser, I matched my Diamond Plus status to Celebrity’s Elite Plus status.
Despite the reciprocal loyalty program, loyalty perks differ from one cruise line to the other. Whereas Royal Caribbean offers Diamond Plus members five free drinks a day, Celebrity Cruises entitles Elite guests and above to a nightly happy hour with unlimited beverages from 5-7 PM.
Each cruise line’s loyalty program comes with pros and cons, but there were a few perks I enjoyed on Celebrity that I cannot receive on Royal Caribbean.
One perk I took advantage of on Celebrity Silhouette was complimentary access to the ship’s thermal suite, a benefit not offered on Royal Caribbean. Elite guests and higher can access Celebrity’s Persian Garden on one port day at no extra charge, which includes hot stone loungers along with steam and sauna rooms.
It was a nice way to wind down after a busy day exploring Norway, and I wish this benefit could be offered on Royal Caribbean, too.
I also appreciated that I could receive two complimentary bags of laundry on Celebrity as opposed to just one on Royal Caribbean, partake in a complimentary fitness class, and indulge in a complimentary scoop of gelato.
Additionally, I found there were more exclusive events for Captain’s Club members compared to what is offered by Royal Caribbean. One evening, a sailaway party was offered for Captain’s Club members on the helicopter pad, and another day offered a mixology event.
Although I missed certain aspects of Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program while onboard, such as the five free drinks a day and access to a private lounge, there were select benefits I enjoyed more on Celebrity Cruises.
Related: I used Royal Caribbean’s new loyalty status match program on my Celebrity cruise
I thought the ship was designed well, with thought given to ocean views
Many of Royal Caribbean’s newest ships—particularly the Oasis and Quantum Class vessels—lack views of the ocean from onboard spaces. The Royal Promenade, for example, faces inside with little to no views of the ocean.
Likewise, while the Quantum Class’ Two70 entertainment space offers floor-to-ceiling windows, the area is often reserved for performances and other activities. Most of the time, views of the ocean on these vessels are limited to top-deck areas like the pool deck and Solarium.
In regard to ocean views, I was impressed by the design of Celebrity Silhouette. The vessel offered beautiful views from nearly any venue onboard—indoor or outdoor.
Outdoors, the ship’s Sunset Bar offered a trendy, spacious area to enjoy views of the ship’s aft, whereas the indoor Sky Lounge was the coziest place to relax with a view from the venue’s wraparound windows.
Because my itinerary sailed through the breathtaking Norwegian fjords, I appreciated being able to see outside regardless of where I spent time onboard.
Even though you can certainly enjoy an ocean view on Royal Caribbean, the design of Celebrity Silhouette better facilitates relaxing with a view, whether suntanning on the pool deck or grabbing a drink at the Martini Bar.
Activities on Celebrity Silhouette were unique and fun
Royal Caribbean might offer more onboard thrills compared to Celebrity, whether the FlowRider surfing simulator or glow-in-the-dark laser tag, but Celebrity Silhouette had a fair share of activities as well.
I channeled my inner child at the ship’s craft workshops, from a watercolor class to origami. When I attended the macramé class, I was left impressed by the budget of the activity, which included all craft supplies for passengers. I hadn’t seen a similar activity offered on Royal Caribbean, and this type of programming was a nice way to pass the time on a leisurely sea day.
Outside of crafts were some seriously unique events.
Related: 18 free things to try on your next cruise
One afternoon, in fact, a curling competition took place. I didn’t know what to expect with this Olympics-inspired activity, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw an inflatable curling court in the center of the atrium. I had never seen this type of activity before on a cruise ship!
I love trying my hand at Royal Caribbean’s skydiving simulators and zip lines, but in terms of the less adrenaline-pumping events, I found Celebrity Cruises offered more out-of-the-box indoor programming onboard.
Celebrity Cruises had more food variety compared to Royal Caribbean
Dining is one of the most important aspects of a cruise vacation for many passengers, and Celebrity Cruises didn’t limit themselves when it came to food variety.
After cruising on Royal Caribbean twenty times, I’ve become accustomed to the dishes offered both in the Windjammer buffet and Main Dining Room. You can always expect classic American dishes, such as mac and cheese and hamburgers, but ethnic cuisine is offered, too, whether chicken curries or beef burritos.
I’ve never had an issue finding something to eat on Royal Caribbean, and I’ve found the variety of options satisfactory. I especially appreciate the nightly cuisine themes offered in the Main Dining Room, as I know which type of cuisine to expect on any given evening of the sailing.
Related: Top 10 Biggest Cruise Ship Dining Mistakes To Avoid
Yet when comparing the selection of food available between the two cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises offered more variety. I was always surprised by the creativity of the dishes offered, particularly at the buffet.
On a given day at lunch, passengers could enjoy custom stir-fries, pastas, and paninis at various live cooking stations. Beyond that were items like cured Spanish meats, not just one but five flavors of hummus, French onion fried rice, and even carmelized-to-order crème brûlées.
Simply put, it’s clear Celebrity Cruises tries to offer a diverse selection of dishes on its ships, and the variety left me consistently surprised.
For dessert, the unlimited ice cream couldn't be beat
I’m a sucker for ice cream on a cruise ship, and Celebrity Cruises has had the best selection among all cruise lines I’ve sailed on yet. It seems like a relatively minor detail, but the ice cream choices were a highlight of my time onboard Celebrity Silhouette.
Like most cruise lines, Royal Caribbean offers unlimited soft-serve ice cream on the pool deck, but beyond that, options are quite limited. You can occasionally find flavors of scooped ice cream in the buffet, but you should expect to pay extra for ice cream elsewhere. If you’re hoping for a special flavor—cookies and cream or raspberry sorbet, for example—you'll have to shell out extra money.
Celebrity, on the other hand, offers over a dozen ice cream flavors throughout the week at no extra charge. From banana to blueberry, coconut, dulce de leche, peanut butter, and classic vanilla, there were new ice cream flavors for nearly every meal.
To top it off (literally), there was a toppings station in the buffet where guests could add sprinkles, oreo crumble, and a selection of syrups to make their sugary treat even better.
Related: What's included with Celebrity Cruises fare?
More itineraries are offered by Celebrity—a huge plus
Celebrity Cruises offers cruise itineraries to more regions of the world than Royal Caribbean. As a destination-focused cruiser, this is perhaps the main reason I am drawn toward Celebrity over the latter.
For my Norway cruise, I could have booked an itinerary on either cruise line. Both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity sail through the Norwegian fjords, and there is little to no difference between the itineraries offered.
Yet my first Celebrity cruise really showed me just how many destinations I could visit with the cruise line. Stopping by the ship’s Future Cruise Vacations desk, I browsed the selection of itineraries available to book.
With Celebrity, I can book a cruise to some of the destinations highest on my wishlist, including itineraries to Bali, India, and the Galápagos. Royal Caribbean offers some unique itineraries, too, such as sailings to Japan and the South Pacific, but Celebrity Cruises takes the take when it comes to itinerary variety.
Every cruise line offers something different, and I loved these seven aspects of sailing with Celebrity Cruises
After cruising with five different cruise lines, I’ve come to appreciate the offerings of each.
On my MSC cruise I enjoyed the best pizza at sea (by a long shot), but I didn’t care for the stingy internet package. While cruising on Princess I appreciated my in-depth Alaska itinerary, although I felt the ship design was not appropriate for a cruise in cold weather.
Just like with my previous cruise experiences, I found things I liked and disliked about sailing with Celebrity. Because I’ve cruised with Royal Caribbean so much more than any other cruise line, I can’t stop myself from comparing Celebrity Cruises to my tried-and-true favorite.
Whereas the buffet had great variety, I missed the wider selection of complimentary restaurants on Royal Caribbean. In addition, Celebrity’s free drink policy during happy hour was not nearly as flexible as Royal Caribbean’s drink vouchers for Diamond members and higher.
Nonetheless, there were a few features and benefits that I enjoyed with Celebrity, and I would definitely consider another cruise with the line in the future, especially to a unique destination.
Jenna DeLaurentis
Jenna DeLaurentis enjoys exploring new ports of call around the world on a cruise ship, learning about new cultures, discovering beautiful landscapes, and trying diverse cuisine. She loves to get active while at port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea.
